Anthology 2011
by DateMe
Summary: Here you will find a compilation of the winning DateMe entries for 2011. There will be multiple Hinata!Pairings and varying themes. Please comment and fave the original submissions on our DeviantArt page.
1. January  Me, Myself and I

**Title:** In The Mornings  
**Author:** t-h-e-p-o-i-n-t  
**Rating: **G ( K )  
**Month:** January 2011  
**Challenge:** Me, Myself & I  
**Pairing:** NONE

If you would like to fave or comment on this entry, please visit the original on our DeviantArt page.

* * *

ONE-SHOT: Hinata Hyuga

The morning dew clung to her pyjamas as she trudged through the garden, the grass brushing by her ankles and the leaves sliding passed her in a soft hiss. It was not yet sunrise, but the sky had the telltale hints of blue and green and sun that promised a mild summer's day. From one corner of the garden, a morning dove sounded, a song of even intervals of rising and falling vocals. Hidden underneath the foliage of an apple tree was a squirrel cracking open a walnut. These were her companions every morning and Hinata welcomed them with a smile as she lifted her hand to sweep her fingers along the lapageria roseas trailing along the compound's walls.

So quiet. So still. So even-mannered. The morning was like the Hyuga, a whispered hush that followed after her footsteps imprinted on the grass and soil, her braid swaying along the curve of her back, stray strands floating like spores in the air. She hummed to herself then, a lullaby that she had learned from her mother, as her naked toes traced along the stone pathways. The koi were still asleep while she came to a stop before a bed of herbs, her eyes sliding along the four walls of the garden in speculation.

Several of the servants had woke by now, silent spirits who floated down the open corridors of the Hyuga Main House. Whenever they were to cross paths, they would bow their heads in quiet reverence and say nothing. Hinata had always been, generally, alone in the mornings.

She knelt to settle down beside the plot of herbs, her hands carefully smoothing out her pyjamas pants, slipping the cotton underneath her knees. With the sun slowly peaking up from the horizon, she mapped out the fragile veins and creases of the herbal leaves with her fingers, feeling for freshness and scenting their potency stained on her fingertips. Brushing aside her bangs, she mentally took inventory of the ingredients already in the clan's pharmacy before plucking at the mint and dill. A little ways off, she clipped several stalks of aloe and Artemisia. Finally, when the sound of the Hyuga morning training intruded on the morning's silence, she gathered the meadowsweet and comfrey into her arms and retreated into the House.

Her bare feet padded down the hardwood, the edges of her pyjamas, soaked from the morning's dew, left watery smears along the floor as she went. She slid passed her father's private quarters, catching the sound of her father in the midst of putting on his clothes, and crept passed her sister's rooms, hearing her brush her teeth. She passed the kitchen, the living room, the breakfast room, down a hall, another hall, and into that small wing that flourished with the scents of ginseng and ginger.

Straightening her clothes, she put on the slippers by the door and entered the Hyuga pharmacy, an old and oriental-styled room. Along all four walls of the room were floor-to-ceiling cherry wood cabinets and drawers, filled to the brim with dang gui, atractylodes and wolfberry. On one table sat glass jars of the most beautiful dried lingzhi mushrooms and shark fins anyone had ever seen, and Hinata knew that she would never see them be used in her lifetime, more inheritances than for use.

Placing the fresh herbs she had just taken from the garden down on a table – her designated working space, she quickly opened several cabinets and drawers for the other ingredients. Several were dried, others fresh in the refrigerator. Several were fruits, but mostly herbs. She laid them, jars and handfuls and stalks – one by one – on her table before reaching for the bronze scale, the stone abacus, the marble pestle and mortar, the surgical steel knife, the metal scissors, the calligraphy brush, the black ink and the rice paper.

Once everything was accounted for, she fixed her hair back and began to grind, slice and cut the herbs at the appropriate portions. Dust lifted from the dried goji berries, juice flowed from the fresh dandelions, and the scent of rosemary tinted the air. The bronze scale squeaked under the weight of the cinnamon, and the marble pestle and mortar stained green at the peppermint. All the while she made efficient notes and inventory on the rice paper, counting the necessary amounts needed after her cousin's latest mission and referencing the excesses required by her sister for her long mission next week. Hinata always made sure to be (at least) a week ahead of her immediate family in their schedules. The Hyuga staff made sure to be (at least) two weeks ahead of her.

She mixed the different herbs together, sprinkling flower petals in to offset the heavy medicinal scent, and put a stopper on each jar. With masking tape and a marker, she labelled the names of several active Hyuga ninja on the jars, names that she had grown both fond and familiar with from over the years. Each stroke, each line, each character – she knew that she could not always be with them out in the battlefield, but it gave her some reprieve (as it did them) to be a part of them in some way, a part of the healing process that promised sanctuary once they were back within the Hyuga walls… back home.

It was one of the many ways Hinata undertook to help them.

The gentle sound of the marker being capped and the echo of the last jar being placed on the table, and she done. Hurriedly, she put away the herbs in their appropriate places and washed the instruments. She could hear the sound of breakfast nearing and she had yet to get dressed! Slightly flustered, she straightened the many medicinal jars on the table, freshly made, and touched each one with a motherly affection, the names reflected in her white, pupil-less eyes: Neji… Hanabi… Ko, Hoheto, Tokuma… father.

More than a dozen, lined up so neatly along the glossy cherry wood of the table – lined up so perfectly to defend their beloved village and to uphold their clan's honour… It was the least she could do for them, quietly and alone in the mornings, when they had done so much, and would continue to do so, for her.

Pulling her hair loose from her braid, pyjamas now dry, the Hyuga heiress left the pharmacy quietly, satisfied knowing that her clan – her family – was now just a little bit safer. A few hours out of her sleep was worth it, and she smiled as she slipped a jar into her sister's knapsack.

Anything was worth it for her family.

Anything.


	2. February Year of the Fox

**Title:** If Wishes Were...Foxes?  
**Author:** embryonica  
**Rating: **G ( K )  
**Month:** February 2011  
**Challenge:** Year of the Fox  
**Pairing:** NaruHina

If you would like to fave or comment on this entry, please visit the original on our DeviantArt page.

* * *

At 22 years old, Hyūga Hinata was living on her own for the first time, and her studio apartment was sparsely furnished. Her father, the CEO of an international corporate empire, had expressed an ardent desire to see her living in a posh penthouse, wanting for nothing, but Hinata had decided to try starting from scratch, instead of being the pampered princess all her life.

To spruce up the decidedly dull décor, the young woman had visited a flea market that Saturday morning and picked up a garish orange lamp. Though Hinata was a lover of soothing pastel colors, she found the lamp's shape attractive and decided she would take it to her mother's art studio sometime soon and re-glaze it in a more pleasing hue.

Before that, though, she needed to clean it, as it had clearly been abandoned, uncovered, in a very musty, dusty place.

Standing at the serviceable kitchen sink, Hinata picked up a dishcloth and started rubbing away the accumulated grime of years in storage. She stopped abruptly, squeaking in alarm, when the lamp started glowing and shaking in her hands. Hastily depositing it in the sink, she backed away as the light grew brighter and the clattering in the metal sink grew louder. She had a crazed moment in which she wondered if she had activated some kind of bomb.

The incandescence became blinding for one moment, accompanied by a loud POP, which elicited a shriek of fright from Hinata.

More shocking than the light and noise was the sudden appearance of a tall, blond young man in long pajamas the same gaudy shade of orange as the lamp. Glimpsing him, Hinata screamed (as it had been drilled into her to do from a very young age in response to a strange male entering her vicinity), "Ah! A rapist!"

Glimpsing her in return, the blond youth screamed, "Ah! A ghost!"

Hinata had only a split-second to resent being mistaken for a ghost before she fainted dead away.

Awakening on the cheap linoleum floor was less than pleasant, but Hinata dusted herself off and looked around her. The orange lamp was in the sink and no strange young men were in sight. She was disconcerted by the waking nightmare she had experienced, but wrote it off and was just about to return to cleaning the lamp when she heard the toilet flush. She froze.

"Oh, hey, ghosty lady, what's up?" the rapist greeted her genially as he reentered the kitchen. "Are you gonna faint again?"

"I-I-I-I'm-I'm nnnnn-not a g-g-ghost," Hinata answered, internally surprised by her own response.

The blond snorted. "Coulda fooled me, with your black hair and white skin and white dress. You _sure_ you're not a ghost?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, a rich blush suffusing her cheeks.

Seeing this, the rapist grinned. "Ah, so you've got blood flow after all. Great! I don't think I'm allowed to serve ghosts."

"Ssss-ser-serve?" she echoed.

"Yep! You rubbed the lamp, so you're my mistress now," he informed her. "You get three wishes, yada yada, I'm sure you've heard the spiel before. So, what's it gonna be? Oh, and forget anything you might've heard about certain wishes being off-limits, 'cause rules don't apply to me. I'm definitely a cool rebel among my kind, totally James Dean-y." He struck a goofily brooding pose and then cut his bright blue eyes to her, expectant. "So? Come on, tell me your wish!"

Hinata had never encountered anyone so effervescent. She could barely muster a response. "W-w-what-what's your name?"

"Oh, hahaha! I completely forgot. I'm Naruto, the fox genie of the lamp!" So saying, two pointed, red-furred ears popped out from the top of his head while a long, puffy, red tail popped out from his behind. He grinned a foxy grin and stuck out his hand. "Nice ta meetcha!"

Hesitantly reaching out to grasp the proffered limb, she said, "Hyūga Hinata." As a human boy in pajamas, he was handsome. With the ears and tail he was unbearably cute.

Her blush returned full-force.

"Hey, you got a fever or something? You look like you're burning up," Naruto commented.

"Nnnnnn-no!" she warbled.

"That's good, then. Okay now, what're you gonna wish for? Eternal life?" he suggested.

Hinata frowned. "Th-th-that sounds horrible."

"Really? I thought lots of people wanted that. Some of my previous masters sure did," he answered.

"Iiiiit would be lllll-lo-lonely."

"Heh, you're smart, Hinata. It _is_ lonely, and I'd know. My stupid previous masters wouldn't listen when I tried to tell them, though," he scowled, but his buoyant expression soon returned. "What else is there? Oh! Do you want someone to fall madly in love you?"

The blush made a terrific resurgence.

"Well, tha-that-that mmm-mi-might be nice ssss-so-someday," she murmured, pressing her index fingers together, a nervous habit she hadn't been able to break since childhood.

"Then wish for it!" he cheered, but his face fell when she looked aghast. "What?"

"No! If I mmm-_made_ them ffff-fall in love, it wouldn't be rrrr-re-real!" she cried.

He chuckled. "You're a romantic, huh? That's cool. I think I probably am, too. Some of my stupid previous masters had no qualms about it, though, and made some poor girls fall for them. And some of them were so gross and fat and old and stuff! It was like something out of a nasty porn comic!" he yelped, making a face to clearly illustrate his disgust. Hinata couldn't stifle a giggle, and he smiled slyly when he caught her at it.

"Alrighty, no making someone fall in love with you. Um, is there anyone you'd like me to bring back from the dead? I should warn you, though, it's not some happy fluffy Jesus Christ affair—they're rotted and stuff, like zombies but without the limited vocabulary and hankering for brains. And if they've been cremated, you better just forget it. I'm powerful, but even I can't make a person come back from ashes. Also, once they get past a certain level of decay, it's just pointless, so whoever it is can't have been dead for a real long time, okay? Maybe a really well-preserved mummy, but I can't make any promises."

Hinata blinked owlishly at him before shuddering. The whole zombie reanimation sounded utterly distasteful. She made her refusal clear.

Naruto suggested she wish to be fabulously, disgustingly wealthy.

She told him her family already was.

He suggested worldwide fame.

She recounted hyperventilating just from giving a speech in front of her class in elementary school.

Would she like a pet, he asked.

The apartment landlord had a strict no-pets policy.

An awesome car?

She'd never gotten her driver's license, having been chauffeured everywhere her entire life.

An awesome bicycle, then?

There was no place to store it.

Naruto rattled off plenty more suggestions, but Hinata found a reason to shoot down every single one. Finally, Naruto exploded, "Hinata, you're killin' me! Just make a wish already!"

Taken aback by his vehemence, she flushed and asked, "What's your fffff-fa-favorite ff-food?"

"Huh? Whaddya wanna know that for?"

"P-p-please tell me."

"Well, alright. My favorite food? That's easy! A piping-hot bowl of Ichiraku ramen!" he enthused.

Hinata had never heard of that brand, but if Naruto was to be believed regarding the extent of his powers, such a matter was immaterial. She said, "I wish ffff-for one of mmmm-my-my mm-mother's homemade cinnamon buns, aaa-and-and a piping-hot bowl of Ichiraku rrrr-ra-ramen."

Naruto gaped at her but granted the wish. Hinata invited him to sit at the fold-up card table in the teeny dining area and they enjoyed the food together. She was more than happy to listen to him rant about former masters, though he had been fond of a few. A young teacher named Iruka had rubbed the lamp in the 1930s and was obviously a favorite. It seemed he had been planning to keep Naruto around as a platonic lifelong companion, but Iruka had been visiting Nagasaki on a certain day in 1945 and Naruto had been sucked back into the lamp without warning. He'd never known what had happened to Iruka until being summoned by his most recent master before Hinata, a carpenter named Yamato, in the '70s. The man had been kind enough, but he had made three simple wishes in a short timeframe and then bid farewell to Naruto without much fanfare.

Daylight had faded, and Naruto said, "Oh man, it's gotten so late! You could've told me, Hinata!"

"Sssss-sorry," she said, worried she had upset him.

"I'm not mad, it's just— well, you might be too nice. You just let me go on and on!"

"I lllll-liked lllll-li-listening to you."

For the first time she got to see him blush a bit, and it was sweet. Her heart tripped over itself.

He ushered her off to have a bath and get ready for bed, which she did after showing him how to work the flat-screen TV (one item her father simply would not let her leave home without).

After she was through and came into the living room, wearing lavender Hello Kitty pajamas, Naruto grinned and said goodnight. When he was about to go back into the lamp, Hinata stopped him in her polite, stuttering way and said it was no trouble to fix up the couch as a bed for him. Touched by her thoughtfulness, he accepted the offer and had a nice night's sleep.

The next morning Hinata fixed breakfast for the both of them, and Naruto expended lavish praise on her cooking skills. She blushed hard and happily.

They spent the day much like before, with Naruto doing a lot of talking about all the eras he had lived through and people he'd met. Today, though, he encouraged her to talk more about herself, so she told him about her family. He was quite incensed to learn she had spent her formative years ostracized for being a shrinking violet in a family of staunch sunflowers, but she reassured him several times that the relationships were vastly improved. Her father, especially, seemed to be trying to make up for lost time. When Hinata revealed that her uptight, stern father was currently on an aggressive campaign to get her to call him "Daddy," like she had as a toddler, Naruto nearly busted a gut laughing, and it was infectious. A few times it seemed to die down, but then they'd make eye contact and start all over again.

At the close of the day, Hinata told Naruto she had to go to work the next day, but that she would be home for dinner. She even fixed a sandwich for him to have for lunch while she was out.

"Are you gonna use your second wish, Hinata?" Naruto asked her.

Her limpid eyes drifted to the cramped couch and she answered, "I wish mmm-my couch was a nnnnnn-ni-nice fold-out so you can ssss-sleep comfortably."

Right after granting her wish, he fisted his hands on his hips in a classic scolding posture she suspected he might have learned from his friend Iruka. Naruto expostulated, "Hinata, quit wasting your wishes on me! They're for _you_! They're to make _you_ happy!"

"This _does_ mmmmm-ma-make me happy!" she responded, equally as fervent.

He plopped down on the newly transformed couch and sighed in blatant exasperation. "Well, your wish is my command and all that," he groused.

Hinata wondered why he was so against her doing things for him. She had always been happier in giving gifts than receiving them, in seeing faces fill with warmth and contentment once the contents of a box or bag were revealed.

Naruto had been glad enough for the ramen the previous evening, but there was no sign of that now as he stretched out on the couch and started flipping through channels. He mumbled a goodnight to her and she took it for the dismissal it was.

In her bedroom, she did everything she could to muffle the sobs that rang out of her throat. She bit her lip so hard, it bled.

Monday morning, Hinata saw neither hide nor hair of the fox genie, and deduced he had gone back into his lamp. She had a bowl of tasteless cereal and went to work, taking time before she left to remind Naruto of the sandwich and beverages in the refrigerator and that she would be home to make dinner.

Hinata was an assistant teacher at a preschool, and being around the children eased her aching heart a little, but Naruto was still foremost on her mind. She wondered if she had hurt him somehow, unknowingly, and he wanted to get away from her. He could only do that if she made her third wish, but she had no idea what to wish for.

Her solution was to ask her four-year-old charges. The answers ranged from "Lots of candy" to "A puppy" to "A new tricycle" to "A new baby sister" and beyond. It was all very cute, and also gave Kurenai, her direct superior, the inspiration for a new art project for the kids, but it didn't help Hinata very much.

"What if," she said, "I want to free the genie from the lamp? How do I wish for that?"

"You just say 'I wish the genie was free from the lamp,' duh!" exclaimed one bossy little girl.

Hinata pondered that. Could it be that easy?

When she arrived back home and started dinner preparations, Hinata noticed the sandwich was gone, which made her smile weakly, but Naruto did not come out to keep her company the way he had before.

She served two portions anyway and set the table for two. She said softly, sadly, "Please don't mmmm-make me use mmm-my-my third wish ffff-fo-for this."

Begrudgingly Naruto appeared. He sat down and they ate in silence. He thanked her for the food and would have vanished once more, but Hinata said, "NNN-Na-Naruto-kun, please don't go yet. I-I-I-I-I don't knnn-know what I did, b-b-but I'm ssss-so sss-so-sorry!"

Her face crumpled as her tears started flowing, and Naruto panicked, his ears and tail popping out. Crying women freaked him out. He grabbed her some tissues and awkwardly patted her back, trying to remember how the women on TV soothed their friends. "Um, there, there, honey, he didn't deserve you anyway. You're worth a million of that tramp he was with."

When he heard a tearful giggle, he knew he was on the right track. "We'll go out and get drunk and dance. Forget guys! We'll just have a girls' night out!"

She lifted her face out of her hands, hiding the bottom half of it with damp tissues. Her pale eyes were shiny and red-rimmed. Naruto's heart tripped over itself.

"Oh, Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered feelingly, "I wish you were human."

They locked eyes and gasped at the same time. The lamp fell off the kitchen counter and shattered on the floor.

Naruto remained where he was, though, in his loud pajamas, but his adorable ears and tail were absent, never to return.

The blond looked desolate. "What've you done, Hinata?" he questioned, sounding hopeless.

"D-d-d-do you hate mmmm-me-me?" she said, looking quite liable to burst into tears anew.

"No. I don't think that's even possible," he told her, smiling faintly.

"Then w-w-why did y-y-you avoid mmmmmm-me-me?"

He scratched the back of his head. "I was getting too comfortable, and you only had one wish left. Once you made it, our time would be up. I thought it was better not to get too attached. Why did you do this, Hinata?"

"Ssssss-so that you could ssssst-stay," she told him.

"Couldn't you have just wished for that?" he pointed out.

She replied that forcing him to stay was as bad as forcing someone to fall in love with her. She had wanted to give him the choice he'd never had before. As a human, unbound by the lamp or a master-servant relationship, he could decide for himself.

His expression evidenced his bewilderment. Hinata said, "Na-Naruto-kun, iiiif-if I were yyyy-yo-your genie, what wo-would you wi-wish fffff-fo-for?"

For long moments he considered the query. At last he smiled and said, "I would wish to be able to find someone like you to love me."

"You already have," she said meaningfully.

He laughed, beaming, and swept her off her feet into a tight embrace. He swung her in a few circles before noticing her lack of response. Loosening his hold, he examined her and realized she had passed out. He kissed her cheek and whispered, "Wake up soon, ghosty lady. I have so much to tell you."

**-finis-**


	3. March Menage a Trois

**Title:** Summer Vacation  
**Author:** Zetsubel  
**Rating:** PG-13 ( T )  
**Month:** March 2011  
**Challenge:** Menage-a-Trois  
**Pairing:** OT3 (KakaHinaDei)

If you would like to fave or comment on this entry, please visit the original on our DeviantArt page.

* * *

He hated public. He hated the hot weather. Hot weather meant sleeveless shirts and shorts. Public and hot weather meant whispers and stares, and sometimes street brawls brought on by up-start young thugs who ignored the bulging muscles and angry, bloodshot eyes.

A vein in his temple throbbed as another group of giggling, bikini-clad girls strolled by and suddenly hushed. He gave them a narrow glance. They collectively gasped and quickly moved on.

Kakuzu rubbed a hand through his hair and laid down on the towel. He hated the beach. Absolutely loathed it. He should have KNOWN. When Deidara showed up on his doorstep in a wife beater and bright yellow swim trunks, his alarms should have gone off. But his sweet little roommate had asked the blonde to run her to the bank, and upon offering, conned him into going with her. His apartment neighbors were relatively used to his looks, so he grudgingly agreed to ride along, never suspecting her thin sundress or the sunscreen in her purse. He was dressed warm in comparison - jeans and a V-neck shirt.

Hinata was determined to get him out and in the sun. He was dark enough to not need it. Didn't want it. Wanted to stay at home with his laptop and his stocks, rake in the money, plan further for a retirement that never seemed to come because he just could not get enough. Sure, he had upwards of three million stashed away already, but it just wasn't enough. Never would be.

"Kakuzu..?"

He cracked an eye open and glared viciously at the one responsible for his misery. Hinata was irritatingly unaffected by the look. She knelt on the towel, careful to not kick sand his way, with his head between her bare knees. Underneath the sundress she had worn a red halter one-piece, making an effort to be modest despite the cleavage and high cut of the suit on her hips. He was wholly unaffected by the swimsuit, unlike the scores of other men on the beach. More than once she had politely declined and pointed his way. The men gave her the strangest stare and walked away. At least he didn't have to kill someone. That would totally fuck with his retirement plan.

"You should come see the starfish I found," she said softly, stroking his dark brown hair back from his sweaty forehead.

Kakuzu didn't respond. He closed his eyes again and proceeded to ignore her. Hinata sighed and pressed her plush lips against the bridge of his nose and murmured, "I'm sorry, Kakuzu…"

He was finally about to snap at her when a brightly colored beach ball sailed out of nowhere and bounced right off his face. Hinata yelped and jerked back, glancing back and forth between Deidara, the ball, and the eerily silent Kakuzu.

"D-Deidara-kun!"

"Sorry!" The blonde barked with laughter and made a wide circle around the two to retrieve the ball, bouncing it in one hand with the other on his hip. "Maybe if he wasn't such a stable target, that shit wouldn't happen. What're you gonna do about it, old man? You know you're too scared of the sun. Scaaared."

Deidara bounced back and forth on his feet with a wide grin, beach ball brandished for another throw.

"Ah- Deida - KAKUZU, YOU CAN'T!" Hinata flailed for the scarred man as he quickly sat and reached for a Coke bottle in the cooler, ready to launch it at the blonde fiend.

"I'll fucking kill him, Hinata," Kakuzu responded calmly, trying to stand with her clinging to his arm.

"B-but - Um - how will we get home?" she tried, rationalizing with him.

"He has his keys."

"W-we're not s-stealing a car!"

"It's simple."

She gave him a hard look and yanked the bottle from his grasp. "NO."

They shared glares for a minute before he jerked away and sent her sprawling in the sand. "Fine."

Kakuzu stepped away from the sputtering girl and began folding the blanket. "Deidara. Take us back."

"Whaaat? You're such a tight ass, Kakuzu!" Deidara dropped the beach ball where he'd found it and jogged over, brushing sand from Hinata's back as he did. "It was just a little fun, no need to be so-"

Kakuzu stood to his full intimidating height, grabbed the blonde's ponytail, and sliced it clean off with the swiss army knife he kept in his jeans. Hinata's hands flew to her mouth, silver eyes flying wide open. Deidara went stiff. Kakuzu languidly finished folding the towel, took the umbrella down, hefted both under one arm and the cooler under the other, and walked to the car.

After several stiff moments Hinata laid a hand gently on Deidara's shoulder. He was trembling. "D-Deidara-kun…?"

The blonde wailed. "THAT FUCKER, HM! THAT BASTARD! I'LL KILL HIM! SLIT HIS THROAT!"

He fell to his knees and clung to the ponytail that was so heartlessly left in the sand. "NOOO!"

Hinata had to drive. Deidara was wrapped in the passenger side seatbelt to keep him from getting to Kakuzu in the back. Kakuzu was actually humming and watching the scenery go by with the most content expression Hinata had ever seen.

Maybe this summer wasn't so unproductive after all.


	4. April Spring Slumber

**Title:** Honey Tea and Shogi  
**Author:** Shianne  
**Rating:** G ( K )  
**Month:** April 2011  
**Challenge:** Spring Slumber  
**Pairing:** ShikaHina

If you would like to fave or comment on this entry, please visit the original on our DeviantArt page.

* * *

Shikamaru laid in bed, the curtains drawn, his shogi table in the corner, pieces scattered. He had thrown up twice, had the chills, and no number of blankets or warm liquids could warm him. So he lay in bed, miserable and sick, impatiently waiting until the headache wore off, or he stopped shivering. Downstairs he could hear his mother doing dishes, and other housework. At least she wasn't harping on him about one thing or another. If all women left you alone and let you be when you were sick, he made a mental note to be sick more often. He'd get the girl of his dreams, and she'd never nag him. Genius.

A knock on the door shook him from the state in between sleep and awake. He listened closely to the sound of a hesitant voice. Then his mother's which seemed so loud compared to the first. He could only barely hear the first, and he didn't recognize it either. But his mother has said, "Oh, yes, he's in his room. You can go on up, but he's not feeling well."

A few moments later he heard the light wrapping of a fist at his door. He pulled his comforter closer and called hoarsely, "Go away!"

All was silent, then another set of wrapping. A small voice from the other side seemed to whisper, "Shikamaru-san?"

Shikamaru pulled the blankets completely over his head, groaning. He was sick, and tired and just wanted to be left alone. He hated whining, but if that's what it would take to get her to go away, he would, "Please, just go away…"

He heard the door crack, then swing open a bit, "Shikamaru-san? P-please, can I come in?"

And then it dawned on him. Hinata Hyuga. The little shy thing with the purple hair. She had a crush on Naruto, if he remembered correctly. And she was so quiet. No wonder his mother's voice overpowered hers. He uncovered his head a bit, only enough to look up at her, "What is it Hinata?" he complained.

"Sh-Shikamaru, Ino told me you weren't feeling well. I-I thought I'd bring you something that might make you feel better." She said, stepping in a little farther, lightly shutting the door behind her.

She set her bag down by the door and knelt by his cot. She tilted her head, trying to get a better look at him. "Y-your mother didn't tell me what exactly was wrong. H-how do you feel?"

Shikamaru shifted up onto one elbow, shifting the blankets away slightly. The air was freezing and he regretted even letting her come in the door. He should just Shadow Mimic her right back out the door and lock it. He sighed, "Hinata, I feel like I've been bowled over by… something big." He said, giving up halfway through his metaphor. He shook his head, "I've been throwing up, much to my disgust, it's freezing in here, and I just want to sleep, but this headache won't ease up just a bit so I can sleep."

The Nara rolled over, pulling the blankets up around his shoulders and under his chin, eyeing a shogi piece on the floor with great interest. Hinata thought for a moment and smiled lightly, "You just have a cold." She said warmly. "The blankets will help out a lot. As gross as it sounds, you have to, well…s-sweat out this cold." Hinata stood slowly, her little feet padding across the floor. Without another word she left, leaving the door open a crack. Shikamaru sighed; she didn't close the door, meaning she'd be back. So troublesome. Just when he had women figured out, they have to actually bug your more often when you're sick than normally.

A few minutes later the sound of her little feet padding down the hallway, accompanied by the sound of ceramic clinking together. Tea? Another sigh. This woman was such a pain is his neck. She backed up into the room, setting the tray down on the floor next to him. He took in a silent breath. Yep, tea. Hinata poured him a cup, coaxing him out of the covers. "Shikamaru? This tea will help. W-won't you at least try it?"

Shikamaru turned sharply, glaring at her. Why wouldn't she just leave him alone? All he wanted to do was sleep. Didn't she see that? Doing as she asked was a hell of a lot easier than listening to her practically beg him. He hated to hear women beg, almost as much as he hated nagging. He sat up, his covers falling. He shivered, biting back the cold, being a man. He had a fever, so what? He took the cup, and after the first sip realized it was one of the best decisions he had made all morning.

Hinata blushed deeply, trying to keep her attention at the bottom of her own cup, watching the tea slosh against the sides. No shirt and pants undone. The hem of his underwear showing, and it was all she could do not to get up and leave right then and there out of embarrassment. So her cup was a great distraction. Being a teenager wasn't as great as she had hoped.

When his cup was empty his chest was looser, and the breaths he took were deeper and clearer.

He let out a deep sigh, happy to have a bit more room to breathe. "Thank you Hinata-chan. I appreciated that. Honey?"

Hinata looked up, a bit confused at the last question.

Shikamaru gestured to the cup, "Honey tea?"

"Oh, oh yes. Honey helps break everything up, whether it was in your lungs, or in your sinuses." She explained quickly.

Feeling a bit better already he only picked up one of his blankets and wrapped it around himself.

They sat in silence like that for a while, drinking more tea, and listening to Yoshino do more housework, singing horribly to herself. When the silence was nearly suffocating Shikamaru cleared his throat, "S-so, Hinata?"

She looked up slowly, broken from a trance, "Hmmm?"

"Why did you come out here today? I mean, you aren't a medical ninja, and, well, it's not like I'm one of your team members you are supposed to keep healthy. And, I know it's not affection. What with Naruto and all." He said, rambling a bit.

Hinata was quiet for a few minutes, composing and pulling together her words. "I was at the flower shop this morning, collecting herbs. I, um, I make homemade ointments and dabble in a bit of healing. I don't heal like medical ninjas. I'd rather heal conventionally." She stammered a bit here and there, but the longer the two talked, the less she stammered. "And Ino said you had been under the weather the last few days, and didn't show up to training this morning. She said you were sick and she was worried. B-but she had to work, and couldn't come out to see how you were. I told her I'd take you out some medicine and check on you… That's all."

Shikamaru nodded, looking out across the floor, his shogi set knocked all over the place from where he had flipped the table the night before. Asuma-sensei had always checked in on him when he didn't feel well. And getting sick like this, for the first time without him was… not easy. Shikamaru let the sadness envelop him, forgetting about Hinata sitting next to him, whom he'd just been talking to not ten seconds ago. He rolled over, pulling the covers close and fell asleep in minutes, leaving Hinata confused and alone in the silence.

Shikamaru rolled over, the birds outside had stopped, and the sunlight that had been pushing against the curtains had faded. Confused he propped himself up on his elbow, glancing around slowly, taking in his dark room. Off to his right was his shogi table, set up nicely, the pillows laid out perfect, and all the tiles in their right places. All but one. The first move to a game of shogi. He smiled lightly, had Hinata done this? Scanning over his room again he spotted a dark figure against the wall next to his bed, curled up, looking as if it was about to fall over.

Hinata was asleep where she had been when he had so rudely dismissed her to dive into his memories of Asuma. The tea was cold, and there were two plates, one with a sandwich and one with crumbs. He assumed lunch. How long had she stayed with him, he wondered. How long had she waited with him? Shikamaru glanced down at his alarm clock, 7. Another look at the curtains and he nodded, it was just sunset. He shuffled from his covers, wet with sweat; he wrinkled his nose at them. One of the worst parts of being sick, the recovery.

He nudged her shoulder, feeling kind of awkward. No response. He nudged her again, this time, adding her name with a little coo, "Hinata?" Her eyelids fluttered, and she slowly and groggily looked up, "Sh-Shikamaru?" she asked, honestly confused. Shikamaru couldn't hold back the chuckle,

"Hinata, you fell asleep."

Her eyes grew wide and she panicked for a second, "W-wh-what time is it?" she stammered.

Shikamaru put his hands up to calm her down, "Hinata! Calm down, it's only 7."

She slumped back, relaxing a bit. She let out a sigh and looked up, her cheeks pink, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asked, sitting back down in his fort of warmth.

"Falling asleep."

"Why? You just fell asleep. It's not a big deal."

"N-no! I was supposed to take care of you. I promised Ino-chan I would! I let her down." Hinata said, letting her head drop. Why did she seem so sad? It wasn't a big deal. She had fallen asleep, it's not like she had given him the wrong medication or something. He shook it off, trying to be respectful, "Hinata, it's really not a big deal. I fell asleep first. Please, don't worry you're pretty little head over it."

Hinata sighed lightly, looking up, her eyes still full of shame. "Alright." She croaked.

Shikamaru nodded, letting his shoulders sag a bit, relax. He jerked his head to the right, the shogi table, "Did you do that?"

Hinata looked up, and from his face to the shogi table, and back again and let her gaze drop, something Shikamaru would have to note as some kind of nervous twitch or something and she nodded. Again she looked ashamed. Shikamaru struggled to his feel, stumbling over to the table, dragging on of the blankets with him. He sat on the opposing side that had already moved.

The click of a tile hitting the table broke her from her thoughts. She looked up, her brow furrowed. Shikamaru smiled, "You play, right?"


End file.
